Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Safer Crashes

Crash into a large vehicle like a lorry, and the potential damage and injuries are greatly increased if your car rides under the larger vehicle.

US car giant Ford says this could be prevented by fitting a pair of movable pillars to the underbody of car, between the front wheels. During normal driving, the pillars are hidden away beneath the car. But when a crash occurs, the pillars are forced down into contact with the road. This supports the front of the car, preventing it from being pushed beneath a larger vehicle.

The pillars could have other benefits too. They should channel energy from the crash into the ground and away from the vehicle, helping to protect the occupants in other types of crashes. You needn't even buy a new car to get one. Ford says the pillars could easily be retro-fitted to older models.

I don't think that will ever come to pass. It seems that this pillar device would most likely damage the actual road. The likely hood that this will ever take effect is really small. No one likes to pay to pay for natural ware and tear on roads. Let alone a device that will purposly damage a road. THink of all that energy that will be released from these pillars when they make contact.